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Call to worship: Joy: Job 20:4-5, Proverbs 10:28, Lamentations 5:15, Isaiah 52:8; Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 12:3-6, Luke 2:10-11; Hebrews 12:2, Luke 24:38-43, Isaiah 26:19, Psalm 105:43; Psalm 48:1-2, Romans 14:17, Psalm 149:5, 1 Peter 1:8, John 15:11

Text: Leviticus 16

Summary:

As Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, the question hung in the air east of Eden, "Is all lost?" And God answered with a solid and comforting, "No!" Though sin corrupts and defiles, God will make a place with us. The picture in Leviticus 16 is of a perpetual sacrifice that points ahead to the need of a final reckoning, a once-for-all resolution to the mess of sin and the chaos unleashed on creation. But here-and-now, the priest is himself a sinner, and the people's sin continues to corrupt the place where God has set his name and glory. God provides a means for cleansing, for purging sin from priest, place, and people. There is a Day for the punishment of sin, as well as a Day for bringing an end to the guilt of sin.

Main idea(s):

The coming of Jesus fulfills the message of the Day of Atonement, which points the way to restored relationship with God, as sin is punished and the guilt of sin is removed

Sermon Outline:

1. The advent of God’s glory and a holy priest
2. The advent of God’s glory and a holy place
3. The advent of God’s glory and a holy people

Prepare

Discussion Questions:

1. Read Leviticus 16:1-34. Note how Leviticus 16 is prominent as the center of the Penteteuch (the five books of the law), the center of Leviticus, with the text itself a chiasm centered on 16:16-20.
2. What part does direction of motion play in the passage? What reminders of Eden and the expulsion from Eden do we see? While much of Leviticus reflects on this relationship, what does this particular passage tell us about Adam's role and how he should have dealt with the first sin's corrupting effects? How is Jesus' work a fulfillment of this ritual celebration?
3. Read Leviticus 10:1-3, from last week. How are these two passages related? What is the significance of the need for the high priest to cleanse himself and make offering for himself before providing sacrifice for the rest of the tabernacle and the people? How is the purity of the tabernacle related to the purity of the people? What impact does the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Christ have on God's people?
4. There are various components to the day of atonement. How does God weave them into a coherent whole? What is the purpose of the incense? What is the significance of the pair of goats used in the day of atonement? Despite the different activities, how do they work together? How is this related to the atoning work of Christ as described in the New Testament?
5. How does Jesus fulfill and improve upon the role of high priest? How are the roles of priest and king seen to come together in relation to the day of atonement (cf. Daniel 7:9-14)?